


Midnight Hour

by marlenelovesyoongi



Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, Assassins & Hitmen, Blood and Violence, Corruption, Death, Detectives, Gangs, No Smut, Organized Crime, References to Drugs, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:21:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26409379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marlenelovesyoongi/pseuds/marlenelovesyoongi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

Crime belongs in big cities just like ice in a glass of whisky. Seoul is no exception. There’s always been crime and always will be. Robberies, kidnapping, drugs, murders - it happens everywhere and everyday. Most criminals act on impulse or reckless. Because they’re sick in the head or because they’re simply desperate to survive. But some are organized or have a bigger goal in mind. Those are the most difficult to catch. They have ressources and insiders, they’re always a step ahead. But they’re human so they make mistakes. 

But this time, there were no mistakes or clues. Nothing. In the last two years, the burglary and murder rates increased drastically. At first the police acted behind the scenes, not informing the public about it. They wanted to solve the problem without the media going on and on about it for days and alarming the people they’re trying to catch. But the thing with the media is, they have eyes and ears everywhere. Soon the public found out and needless to say they were upset and scared.

Since then, 6 months have passed and no progress. New murders every other week, more and more registered robberies but no clue or trace in sight. They were good, too good. So when the Seoul Metropolitan Police got a call from the Blue House, they knew they needed to step up to not disappoint the public or the President. So Kim Namjoon, chief of the Homicide Department, decided to start a special task force with only the most competent detectives. 


	2. Meet the Boys (1)

**Kim Seokjin** is the star detective at Seoul Metropolitan Police. In his first year after joining the DDA (Department of Drug Affairs), he managed to bust a big drug ring and found connections between those criminals and high ranking politicians. All news outlets reported about the rookie detective who immediately got promoted. Some of his coworkers admired him, some were jealous, of course. Now Seokjin is working at the Homicide Department with the focus on murders & kidnapping cases. Because all eyes are on him, he’s always under pressure to give his best at work. But with fame also comes enemies, especially the ones he made within drug cartels. That’s why he had to leave his beloved house in the suburbs of Seoul to move to a secure penthouse in Gangnam where he lives with his little brother Yugyeom and his best friend Mark.

**Park Jinyoung** on the other hand is a private detective with a small office in an alleyway in Hongdae. He accepts almost every case since it’s hard to make a living in that profession. His assistant and secretary Jimin handles all the appointments and always gives Jinyoung an alibi when he needs it, because he’s got some dubious connections and his methods are not always conventional or legal. But despite being a private detective, he’s still well known in the city. Whenever the police can’t help a family when it comes to kidnappings or unsolved cases, they come to Jinyoung. That’s why his relationship with the police isn’t really the best. Because of his job, he doesn’t have many friends besides Jimin. People always fear that Jinyoung uses his connections to find out things about them which he could use against them, so people don’t really trust him to consider him as a friend.

Like already mentioned, **Park Jimin** is the assistant, secretary and only friend of Jinyoung. Jimin started working for him when he was still in college and looking for a job with flexible working hours. He studied journalism & communication so when Jinyoung offered him a full time job, he was quite hesitant because it was not what he initially wanted to do. But just like Jinyoung relied on Jimin, he also needed the older. Jimin looked up to the detective, admiring what he built for himself without the help of anyone. One day, Jinyoung was hired to find the old wedding ring of an old lady and when he found it, the woman cried of happiness. That’s when Jimin realized this is better than any other job. He wanted to help people, to see them smile again. So he decided to stay and he didn’t regret it ever since.

**Kim Namjoon** is the chief of the Homicide Department and Seokjin’s boss. When he joined his team, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the rookie. Namjoon had to work hard to get where he is now. Years of paperwork, doing the worst jobs possible and so much trial and error. Now he’s one of the most respected chiefs in the country. He gave Seokjin a really hard time at the beginning. He wanted to see if he deserves to be on his team and wanted Jin to prove himself. The older didn’t give up and finally got the approval of Namjoon when he found a kidnapped child in less than 48 hours. Since then, working together isn’t as uncomfortable as it was and they even consider each other as a friend.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hongdae, September 15, 5:35 pm_

Rain, traffic, muffled TV sounds. What others consider noise or a nuisance is calming and relaxing for Jinyoung. When he rented this place years ago, he was cursing the thin windows and walls every day. People on the street screaming at each other, the neighbors having friends over, the kid upstairs jumping off the sofa - he swore he won’t make it even a year in this place. But surprisingly, he got used to it. 

Just yesterday he got a new case. A man came into his office, saying his family lost his sister when she was only 19. But he swore he saw her walking the streets the other day, so he begged Jinyoung to find her. So here he is, looking through news articles and Facebook profiles or different people, hoping to find the young woman. 

His office isn’t the biggest or most comfortable, but he likes it. He found the advertisement for the small office in a newspaper, it was pretty cheap considering it’s located in Hongdae. But it was in a small alleyway, people wouldn’t normally pass it so the landlord couldn’t find anyone willing to rent the office. It may be inconvenient for other businesses but perfect for Jinyoung. When you step into the office, you will immediately be greeted by his assistant and secretary Jimin, whose desk is right beside the door. There’s also a small but comfortable sofa and lots of plants, Jimin’s whole pride. His office isn’t spectacular either. A desk, a large sofa on which he sometimes sleeps, some shelves and a small closet. It isn’t much but he loves it, he feels comfortable here and his clients as well. 

HIs research was interrupted when he heard Jimin’s phone ringing and his sweet voice answering whoever called. He could really use another case, this month has been rough and Jimin asked for a small pay raise which Jinyoung agreed to, of course. He couldn’t say no to his best and only friend. Said friend now came into his room without even knocking. Rude. 

“Jinyoung, I don’t know and don’t care what you’re doing right now but you need to drop it. I just got a call from Kim Namjoon’s secretary”, the raven haired boy said while plopping down on the comfortable sofa.

“Kim Namjoon? As in chief of the Homicide Department of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Kim Namjoon? The hell does he want from me?”, he answered in a slightly annoyed tone. It could only mean trouble when the police call him in. Usually, it only happens when he interferes in one of their investigations. But he didn’t cross their line lately, at least not that he’s aware of. 

“I don’t know, she didn’t want to tell me. Said that you should call him back immediately, here’s his number”, Jimin said before jumping up and giving his boss the digits he’s written down minutes before. “Should we go through your schedule from the last two weeks? I can come up with an alibi for you if you need it but I have to know where you’ve been.”

“No it’s fine, I’m gonna call him and see what he wants from me. Thanks Jimin, you can head home now if you want, it’s quiet today”, he answered while dialing the number on his phone.

“Alright, text me if it’s anything important. Night, JInyoung, see you tomorrow!”. He made sure Jimin left the office before pressing the call button. He expected many things to come out from this phone call, but what Kim Namjoon told him wasn’t one of them.

_Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, September 15, 6:43 pm_

One of the best things for Seokjin about working in the Homicide Department is the view from the office. You can see the colorful city lights, moving cars and even the N Seoul Tower lighting up. He can never get tired of this view. Too bad he has to be in Namjoon’s office to enjoy it, because his office only has a small window facing the warehouse next door. 

When Namjoon called him up to his office earlier, he already expected to be put on the special task force. The public would love it if the famous Kim Seokjin would be responsible for solving the case. But he doesn’t love it at all. If he knew that he would be in the spotlight even years after solving the drug ring case, he would have let someone else announce it. He hates all the attention he gets, hates that even his brother and best friend are involved and had to move, hates working under pressure because everyone expects the best. Now even the President is watching the case, which makes Seokjin nauseous when he thinks about it. So he distracts himself with the view, painted in orange from the setting sun. He’s so jealous of Namjoon’s office with the big windows, but he would never admit it. 

The older was lost in his thoughts when his boss entered his office, sitting down in the big, black leather chair behind his desk. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He looked tired and exhausted.

“You probably know why you’re here, right?”, he waited until Seokjin answered with a nod. “Good. You’re going to be one of the leading detectives for the operation ‘blue midnight’. We’ve rented out an office in Yeongsang, we’re about to equip it with everything you need so you can start in a few days. Here’s a folder with everyone on the team and their special skills, use them.” Namjoon sat back on his chair, now facing the window while Seokjin was quickly reading through the briefing.

“Who even came up with that name? Blue midnight? What does it even mean? Sounds corny.”, he mumbled while getting to know his new team. 

“Don’t ask me, but it sounds better than ‘operation stop the murders and robberies so we can all keep our job because the President is watching us and we can’t fuck this up’, right?” The older just answered with a ‘hm’, still lost in the papers he’s going through. He seemed to remember something because he suddenly put away the thick folder.

“Namjoon, you said I’ll be one of the leading detectives. Who’s the other one? Is it Kang? I can’t stand that bitch, you know that”, he started to whine. 

“Uhm… You’re going to hate me for this, just like the other chiefs do. But I hired Park Jinyoung”. The office is so silent that Namjoon swore he could hear his own heartbeat.

“No”, Seokjin said while getting off the chair. “I am not going to work with someone like that, what were you even thinking??” He’s angry. Really angry. He knows exactly who Park Jinyoung is and despises his methods. People look down on the police because he can solve cases they can’t. But he knows about Park’s illegal ways and connections. And that he’s not afraid to do anything to help the people who hired him. His loyalty is where the money is, which goes against every single one of Seokin’s morals.

“Sit down, Jin. You don’t have a choice. We already hired him and also sent him all the briefings. His experience will help you solve the case quicker because let’s be honest, we’re only working with idiots here and you’re one of the few competent detectives. I knew that you would say no so I talked to the director and if you solve the case together witn Park, we can send you on a paid vacation of 2 months. I know you need a break from basically everything. Please, Jin.” The older sat back down, eyes back on the view in front of him. He knows that he has to do it, no matter how much he dislikes the other detective. And Namjoon is right, he wants a break from the job, from Seoul or even Korea. Just travel and get his mind off things. Remember why he chose this career in the first place, because right now he really doesn’t know. Maybe this will be good for him. 


	4. Chapter 4

_ Task Force HQ Yeongsang, September 19, 8:13 am _

Silence. The room is filled with silence. When Namjoon told Seokjin they would set up a separate office, he hoped he would get his own room. But it seems like they didn’t have enough budget because here the two males are, sitting across from each other on their respective desks, not daring to look up. Jinyoung is currently pretending to be busy researching something but he’s really just messaging Jimin who’s in the other room. His one condition before agreeing was that his friend also joins the team. Namjoon was hesitant at first but Jinyoung made it clear that it’s either the both of them or none.

Jimin was happy, of course. This is his first time working in such a big team and especially on an important case like this. Jinyoung was less thrilled, though. He knew that the detectives from the agency wouldn’t welcome him with open arms. But he did not expect to receive the silent treatment. How are they supposed to work together and solve this when they’re not even talking to each other? Thinking about this alone made Jinyoung frustrated. 

“Listen, I scheduled a briefing with the whole team for 10, so I’m going to prepare a presentation since I’m the one with the most background knowledge about it”, Seokjin said to break the suffocating silence. After thinking a lot the last few days, he decided to take the wheel of this operation. He’s got the experience and the knowledge so why would he work with someone who doesn’t even know how the police works? 

“I got the same folder like you from Namjoon, I know exactly what you know.”, he replied after clicking his tongue, to which Seokjin reacted with a raised eyebrow. “How about you’re summarizing what has been done so far and what the police found out and I’m going to explain the murder and robbery cases?” Seokjin doesn’t want to admit it but it was a good start for the briefing, so he nodded and started typing his part. 

_ Task Force HQ Yeongsang, September 19, 10:00 am _

The meeting room of the office was packed with the assigned task force staff. Besides Seokjin, Jinyoung and Jimin, there were about 20 more employees from the agency, every one of them specialized in a different skill they will all need. Jimin was so kind to help with the preparation of the briefing booklets and handed them out to the other team members. Jinyoung noticed how they were eyeing him like he didn’t belong here. And they were right, it even felt weird to him. He was used to working alone only with the help of his assistant but this? This was new to him and he doesn’t know if he likes it. 

Everyone was now sitting, briefly flicking through the small booklet to get an overview of the meeting ahead. Today is the first day the whole team is together and they will spend many more hours with each other, probably more than they will be at home with their friends or families because Namjoon was very direct about the importance of this operation. 

“Good morning and thank you for coming.. not like you had a choice”, Seokjin opened the meeting which earned him a few chuckles from his colleagues. “Like you all know, we’re here because we’re about to solve the ‘blue midnight’ case. First, Mr Park will tell you all about the crimes and after that, I will give you a summary of what actions have been taken so far and what the outcomes were. Please take notes because we won’t repeat ourselves. Mr Park? You can start now”, Seokjin said before sitting down on the chair next to the white screen. 

“Yeah um, I’m Park Jinyoung, I bet some of you heard about me before. I’m specialized in private investigations and was asked to join this task force. I know you’re not the biggest fans of mine but I’m giving my best to help solve this case.” He looked around to see the reactions but like expected only blank faces. Except Jimin, who gave him a bright smile and thumbs up. 

“About two years ago, the police noticed the first increase of crimes, especially murders and robberies. Between then and now, the estimate of rising crimes is about 170% which is a lot. As you can see in the pictures behind me, the murders were clean assassinations. The hitmen left no physical or digital traces. They’re professionals, not the kind of amateurs you usually have to deal with. The victims are all Korean from different genders. The ways of death are always a bit different. We have some headshots, some bullets straight through the heart, some slit throats, you name it. The total count of deaths connected to this series is 63 over the last 22 months. Mr Kim can probably tell you more about what the police have found out about the victims.”

“For the robberies, there has been a new registered case every 3-4 weeks. The only trace we have here is that they work the same way, that’s why it was easy to connect them. The break ins always happened during day time when the victims left their homes for work or to meet up with friends. This means the culprits watched them to know exactly when to hit. They mostly chose apartments, they only broke into houses a few times. There were never any signs of a violent break in, it was like they just entered the code and walked in, got what they wanted and then left. Neighbors didn’t notice a thing and the CCTV tapes were always deleted or manipulated. Why do we think both crimes are from the same organization? Because sometimes the murders and robbery happened at the same place, sometimes the same neighborhood or at the same time. We also know that they haven’t stopped yet because there are new reported cases every other day. The estimated value of stolen goods is now at 3.5 Billion Won. They don’t take that much at a time but they do it more often, but they’re still cautious. Mr Kim, do you want to take over?” Jinyoung finished his part of the presentation and switched places with Seokjin.

“Thank you, Mr Park. You’re probably asking yourself what the police have done the last few years because we aren’t one step closer to the gang or organization. We tried to handle it quietly in the shadows without the media knowing about it. Usually when we notice an irregularity like this, we’re seeking the help of different insiders. In most cases, they can give us a hint and we can solve cases like this quickly. But this time, none of the insiders heard anything about it. For the new ones: Gangs or bigger organizations always rely on resources or information, so they mingle with other dubious personalities in the underground. They either buy or sell stuff or at least know each other to ensure everyone respects territories. But this time, no one knew what was going on. But other gangs don’t really care because this group isn’t crossing their ways, it seems like they’re staying among themselves and handling everything on their own, which is quite unusual.” 

“But you know how the media is, Dispatch got an anonymous tip and hell broke loose. We were then openly investigating the case which we were trying to avoid.” Jin opened a big map of Seoul on the white screen behind him where all the locations of registered crimes were marked. “As you can see, all the cases are scattered across the city. Some downtown, some in the suburbs, some in poorer and some in richer areas which made it even harder for us to come up with a victim profile.” He switched the picture to a pie chart, showing the distribution of genders. “This chart also didn’t help us a lot. You can see that about 35% are male, 30% female, 20% non binary and 15% other genders. And as for the professions…”, he switched the chart again, “it looks pretty much the same. We have someone from every field, the only connections seemed to be random and a coincidence. But I have to say that they didn’t look deep into every victim, dead or robbed.”

“So as you can see, we don’t know much. But we’re going to change that. We’re going to work in different phases. In Phase 1 we’re going to complete the research and I’m going to split you into two teams. Team A will be responsible for the murder victims and I’m going to lead this team. We’re going to find more background information about all the victims. Their former jobs, their relatives, their friends, their hobbies, just everything about that person we can find so we can try to find any pattern.” Seokjin finished his briefing. He nodded to Jinyoung to signal him to take over.

“And I’m going to lead Team B, responsible for the robberies. I’m not that experienced then it comes to murders but I have solved a lot of cases of missing items and people. We’re going to take a closer look at the stolen items and will search the internet as well as the black market for any signs of sales. If they stole stuff that’s worth that much, they have to sell it somewhere. So for today, we’re going to set up rooms for the different teams and assign roles within them. So consider this day as a general introduction. Starting tomorrow, we will give our best to complete Phase 1. Thank you all for listening.”

After finishing their briefing, Jinyoung and Seokjin assigned teams and roles and started setting up their respective rooms. They ended the day with inviting the team to dinner and drinks because they knew this will be the last calm day they will all have in a while.


	5. Meet the Boys (2)

****

**Kim Yugyeom** is Seokin’s little brother and sometimes his worst nightmare too. After his brother got famous overnight for his work at the police department, Yugyeom also got attention, but not the good kind. He was followed by strange men, got death threats and when he almost got abducted one day, Seokjin decided to let his brother move in with him in his new penthouse. Of course Yugyeom was scared at first and then annoyed because living with his brother isn’t the most pleasant thing, especially when he wants his boyfriend Youngjae to stay over. But over the months, they learned to get along with each other, mostly because Mark acts like the mediator between the two brothers and prevents them from killing each other.

**Mark Tuan** has been Seokjin's best friend since they were kids. While Jin went to the police academy, Mark got his computer programming degree and when both graduated, they moved in together in the small house Jin inherited from his grandma. Just like Yugyeom, he was also targeted by some criminals who Jin pissed off so he also moved into the safe penthouse. He’s responsible for the IT of a big company and due to his situation, he has to work at home. Not always easy because of his roommates but he wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

**Choi Youngjae** graduated from the police academy last year and was now assigned to Seokjin as an intern. The older immediately got along with him so he often invited him over. That’s where he met his now boyfriend Yugyeom. Youngjae is afraid that he’s only a pain in the ass for the older because he’s still a rookie and he works with the famous Kim Seokjin, but the latter always makes him feel important and challenges him when he needs it. So far, he only worked on some smaller kidnapping cases and mostly from the office, so he doesn’t have any field experience.


	6. Chapter 6

_ Gangnam, September 20, 7:25 am _

He should have skipped the last few rounds of soju last night. Jin woke up with a pounding head, still wearing his shirt from yesterday. They wanted to go out for only a couple of drinks and some food but the younger team members insisted on going from bar to bar until they all were wasted. Seokjin stood up, carefully opened his curtains and groaned when the blinding light hit him, quickly covering his face with his forearm. After some light stretching, he checked his phone.

_ ‘you puked on my shoes when I carried you to your apartment, I hope you pay for the cleaning, they weren’t cheap - jinyoung’ _

Memories from last night slowly came back. He wanted to call a taxi but couldn’t even walk a straight line, so Jinyoung offered to help him get home. Of course they argued for a while until the older was too tired to talk any more so he gave in. He only briefly remembered puking but he thought it was a flower pot. Great, now he owes Jinyoung something. He was interrupted by a loud knock on his door.

“Man, you need to get up. Your brother made some hangover breakfast for you so you better get your ass down to the kitchen. I won’t tell you twice.” He loves his best friend but right now he could strangle Mark. Why did he have to knock so loud? But hearing that his brother made him his favorite soup for breakfast gave him motivation to get ready. After some medicine and a quick, cold shower, he was ready to go downstairs.

He was greeted by a hearty smell of freshly cooked rice, soup and coffee. Loud chatter filled the kitchen, and it looked like Youngjae was over too. Seokjin loved having Youngjae as his intern and assistant, without him he doesn’t know how he will survive seeing Jinyoung every single day. When he sat down on the table, Mark and Yugyeom were discussing something about a sports game while Youngjae prepared some food for Jin.

“Sorry again I couldn’t make it yesterday, the chief said I needed to get some paperwork done first but I heard that the assistant of that private detective recorded the briefing so I’ll watch that in the car later.” Seokjin is popular in his office, but they only want to gain something from it. Outside the agency, he only has the boys in front of him. They don’t see each other much during the day so they made it a tradition to have at least breakfast together. If one of them has to get up earlier or later than usual, then the others will try to fit their schedules so they won’t break this tradition. 

They all finished eating and since Mark is working from home, he usually does the dishes for them. Yugyeom left first because he has an early lecture, quickly followed by the detective and his intern. The streets are busy at this hour, so Youngjae really had enough time to go through the briefing and ask some questions here and there. This is the first big case the younger has ever worked on, so he’s both nervous and excited. 

_ Task Force HQ, Yeongsang, September 20, 11:14 am _

Seokjin is pissed. Everyone is supposed to be in the office at 9 am every day but it’s past 11 and no Jinyoung in sight. He texted him a couple of times but received no reply. That’s why he hates working with amateurs like that, they’re not to be trusted. Even Jimin didn’t know where his boss was, or at least he didn’t want to say it. At least his team is motivated to get Phase 1 done. They already requested all the files from the agency and they should be delivered in the next couple of hours. He decided to split his team into 3 groups, each focusing on a different area. One group is responsible for everything jobrelated, the second group looks into family, friends and other relationships and the last group is checking the online presence of the victims. They’re starting from the first victim and work their way through the last months.

And as for Jinyoung’s team? He doesn’t really know and doesn’t care, he’s got enough on his plate to worry about the other team as well. It looks like Jimin is in charge now so they have something to do, at least. Earlier he sent Namjoon his report about the teams and their tasks. He’s happy that they didn’t get a deadline, it would only add more pressure on everyone working in the team and you can’t really force results. He was about to send another email to the agency when he heard someone rushing down the hallway towards his office. 

“Fuck, sorry that I’m late, I had to check something with my contacts”, Jinyoung said out of breath while taking his jacket off. Seokjin didn’t even bother to reply, he just nodded his head and continued writing his mail. Jinyoung wasn’t surprised by the silent treatment, he knows they don’t get along very well. After checking his messages, he went to Jimin’s desk to get some updates. Jimin is a great team leader, Jinyoung noticed. Back in their little office, Jimin is more like an assistant or secretary, only doing what Jinoyung asks or supports him when he needs help. But seeing him working in a big team like that surprised the older. Jinyoung didn’t lie, he met with one of his black market contacts to ask about some of the stolen goods. He was up late last night after bringing the other detective home, briefly checking the list. Some things immediately caught his eye and he needed to confirm something.

Meanwhile, Jimin divided his team into groups as well. The first team is checking the list and estimates the value of the stolen goods. No one would even bother selling items that won’t even make that much money. One of the other teams is checking everything online for any traces of sales and the other team is visiting and calling reselling stores throughout the city to see if someone sold them there. After getting updates from Jimin, he went back to his own desk to send his report to Namjoon.

_ Task Force HQ, Yeongsang, September 20, 3:47 pm _

Seokjin was busy making some phone calls over the last hours so being in the same room with Jinoyung wasn’t actually that bad. The private detective was focussed on some files and some CCTV videos on his computer when his phone started buzzing. A message from his contact named K.

_ ‘I checked the list you gave me with my guys. meet me at the usual place in an hour. I know you’re working with the cops so make sure no one follows you’ _

He quickly replied before checking the time. Should be enough to get there in time, public transport isn’t that busy yet. He grabbed his jacket and bag, which earned him a curious look from his co-detective.

“I got a message from one of my informants, maybe he has something. Gotta go now, see you tomorrow.” Seokjin didn’t have much time to answer because Jinyoung was already out the door. He made a mental note to himself to ask his partner what kind of contacts he has and what he needs them for. The police have their own people so he doesn’t know why he goes against protocol. But since he wants to solve this case as quickly as possible, he decides to let it slide and let him do it his way. 

_ Gwangjang Market, September 20, 5:11 pm _

K is late. He’s never late, that’s why Jinyoung is nervous. He already ordered some beer and kimchi stew for both of them. He was sipping on his drink, watching the busy market. Lots of different people come here, it’s a tourist attraction as well as a popular spot for locals. You see foreigners, families, students, families. Places like this bring people together. That’s what Jinyoung loves so much about Seoul. He was watching a couple argue about something when a tall man sat down next to him. He was wearing casual clothes. Some jeans, a flannel shirt, a cap and a white mask covering his mouth and nose. When he started getting into private investigation, he thought that contact people like K always wear black and hide in the shadows, just like you see it in movies and TV shows. But K explained that this only draws attention, so he just dresses casually. 

“You’re never late, I almost got worried. Almost. Here I already ordered for you, eat it now before it gets too cold. We can talk after you finished”, Jinyoung said while digging into his food as well. They exchanged some small talk and formalities, talking about some sports game, the weather, traffic. When they both finished, K ordered them a bottle of soju to share like they’re used to do after having some food together.

K and Jinyoung have known each other for almost 3 years now, he was one of the first contacts to the black market Jinyoung had. They always meet up at this exact place, ordering the exact menu. The owner knows who they are and won’t question it, K makes sure of that. Jinyoung doesn’t care about K’s methods as long as they’re safe to talk about business. When Jinyoung met up with K earlier, he handed him a list of items that looked suspicious to him. The night before he went over the stolen goods. At first it didn’t look suspicious. Some cash, jewelry, art, just the usual stuff to steal. But a few of the victims also said that unused cheques were stolen. They said they didn’t redeem them to save them for hard times. 

It would be very dumb of the gang to just go to a bank and ask to redeem all the cheques, it would immediately cause suspicion because barely anyone uses them anymore. That’s where K comes into play. He’s got some friends who specialized in money laundry so Jinyoung thought if someone wants to get rid of the cheques, that would be the first place a criminal would go.

“Seems like you were right. Over the last two years, the same two guys went to San to exchange some cheques for cash. They didn’t care that he keeps 20%. Usually his customers would start to bargain or argue with him but they simply accepted it.” He poured himself and Jinyoung a glass of soju and immediately downed his.

“I won’t even ask if San knows what they look like. That group is smart and professional, they wouldn’t just go out and show themselves to the world. Do you think San would be ready to cooperate with us? Well, at least with me? I can assure him to keep him off the track of the cops, they gave me enough freedom to do it my way and you know I’ll keep your identities safe.” The other man scribbled something on a napkin and shoved it into Jinyoung’s pocket. 

“That’s where San is at the moment. He changes location every month so it’s harder to find him. Only his customers know the location and now you do too. Just tell him you got my blessing and you should be good. I have to go now, got some unfinished business with Minhyuk. That bastard won the last round of poker and I won’t be so easy on him like last time.” K stood up, fixed his mask and vanished in the crowd. Jinyoung paid for both of their meals and headed home where he checked the napkin in his bag. He decided to pay San a visit tomorrow after work.


	7. Chapter 7

Itaewon, September 21, 6:43 pm

Jinyoung can’t decide if San is really smart or loves the thrill. If you think about black market merchants, you think about some abandoned warehouse or some hidden place underground. But San chose a popular bar in the busy Itaewon district instead. Sure, no one would ever think of him being there but the chances of getting caught by accident are also very high. Jinyoung never met San so he doesn’t know what to expect. Was he laid back? Will he cooperate? Or is he a dick that will only get Jinyoung into more trouble? He should really ask for more money, Seokjin and the others work during their comfortable office hours and he’s here risking to get on the bad side of his informants and some underground criminals. It’s quite busy in the streets of Itaewon, most people are done with work for the day and meet up with friends or coworkers for some good food and drinks. He passed several cafés, pubs, bars and clubs when he came to a stop in front of a bar called Lotus. 

Jinyoung could already hear the music and buzzing chatter from inside the bar. He could enjoy going there with Jimin on a day off, he made a mental note to suggest it the next time they meet up outside work. As he entered the bar, he could see that it’s quite big. There are lots of tables and sofas on the ground floor, every single one occupied with people, the walls and floors are made of wood which gives it a more cozy feeling. If you go up the stairs you’ll reach some more tables on a balcony which are overlooking the whole bar. K instructed him to order a drink called Mountain Sunrise, the staff will then bring him to San, so he made his way over to the counter where already lots of young people are waiting to be served. While waiting for his turn, he took in his surroundings. There’s a small hallway next to the counter, which probably leads to the toilets and storage room and despite being so busy, there’s only one bar tender. 

“Hey pretty boy, what can I get you?”, she asked him with a blinding smile while cutting some lemon slices. She’s beautiful, Jinyoung noticed, she probably makes more money from tips than from her actual salary. 

“I heard that the Mountain Sunrise is incredible here so I came all the way to try it”, Jinyoung answered with a polite smile. The bartender nodded and went down the hallway next to the bar. A few seconds later she came back with another staff member who then took care of serving the guests while she waved at Jinyoung, signaling him to follow her. They went back into the hallway where Jinyoung could locate several doors. They passed the two restrooms and headed towards the last door. She knocked, waited for a ‘come in’. She gave Jinyoung a wink and left. He opened the door and took in the room in front of him. It looks like a private lounge, the room has large sofas along the walls with a big table in the middle and there’s also a separate bar with lots of different alcohol bottles. On the largest sofa, a tall, handsome man with sharp facial features was sitting, scrolling through his phone. In the corner there was what seemed to be his bodyguard. But other than that, there was no one else inside. 

“Well look who the cat dragged in, if that isn’t our favorite private detective”, San said sarcastically with a smug smile. Hee pointed to the sofa next to him, signalling Jinyoung to sit down. “K already told me you’d come and I’m happy to help you. But it comes for a price, you know I’m a businessman.” Jinyoung already expected something like this, he’s used to bribing people to get information he wants so he brought some cash with him, just in case.

“Of course, I haven’t expected anything else. What I need from you is information. I’m looking for people who sold some unused cheques in the last months. I want to know if anyone came to you wanting to sell those and if yes, if you can give me as much information about them as possible. What would you want in return for this?”, Jinyoung asked. San was sipping on a glass of what looked like whiskey while eyeing Jinyoung with interest. 

“I know who you’re looking for. They sell their cheques to me and some other merchants, never exclusively to the same person so I can’t give you that much information. I also know that you’re working with the cops so this kinda puts me in some more danger, don’t you think? And it also makes my knowledge more important to solving your case. Considering this, I don’t want any money from you but rather ask for a favor. I tried to stay away from the police for obvious reasons, but some weeks ago I was dragged into a bar fight and they arrested me. I had to give them my fingerprints and personal data, which could bite me in the ass one day. Delete that information from the police database and I give you what you want to know. Deal?” 

“Fine, we have a deal. Give me your number and I’ll text you with some proof once it’s done.”, Jinyoung suggested. San showed him a charming smile while writing down his number on a piece of paper.

“Sounds good to me. When someone wants to sell something, they need to text me in advance to arrange a meeting. I will tell them what I will pay them and only bring the right amount, lowers the risks of getting robbed. The next time they text me, I will tell you when and where and the rest is up to you. Speaking of, I have an appointment coming up. Nice to make business with you, Park Jinyoung.” Jinyoung took the paper with San’s number and left the bar. How on earth is he supposed to delete his information? He doesn’t have any access to the database and he has no hacking skills at all. Jimin can get some easy passwords from people’s socials or emails but the police is also a bit too big for him. 

On his way home, he decided to ask Seokjn for help, he’s his partner after all. Plus this will benefit their case so he doesn’t really have another choice. He quickly texts the detective to meet up for coffee before work, it’s better to talk about this outside the office, you never know who’s listening. When he arrived home, he also sent a message to Jimin telling him he’s safe and sound before falling asleep on the sofa.


	8. Chapter 8

_Yeongsang, September 22, 7:36 am_

When Seokjin got Jinyoung’s text last night, he was really curious what the younger had planned and why they had to meet in a café. He’s the first one to arrive at the location they agreed to meet. It was a small business but very cozy and the coffee is delicious. Maybe he will come here more often. He was sitting on a table next to the window, watching students pass by on their way to university, men in suits hurrying to get to their office in time and mothers dropping their kids at daycare. The tiny bell of the café rang and a tall, dark haired man came in. He ordered something to drink and then sat down in front of Seokjin.

“Good morning, sorry for the last minute meeting but I have a favor to ask of you. I met up with someone last night who can give us a lead, but he won’t do it for free. He wants us to delete his police records to have a clean sleeve again before providing the needed information. Can you help me with that?” Did Seokjin hear that correct? He should delete something from the database? That could get both of them fired if it goes wrong or even locked up.

“Do you know what you*re asking from me? And the consequences for both of us? Is the information really worth it?” Jin doesn’t like to admit it but he already did something like this before. Yugyeom was caught slashing the tires of his ex-boyfriend and was arrested. It was right before he applied for colleges so Jin decided to delete his brother’s information from the record so it won’t be in his way from getting into his dream college. He isn’t proud of it but the things you do for the family…

“It’s really important. It could lead us directly to members of the group who’s behind this mess. Unless you have any other leads I don’t know about, this is the only chance we have to get things rolling. Phase 1 is almost done and we need at least something to proceed with Phase 2.” Jinyoung added some sugar to his coffee while Seokjin was fighting with his thoughts.

“Fine. But we can’t do it at the office, they’re tracking our computer activity. Come to my place tonight, my best friend can help us with this. But I hope that it’s really worth it and you know what you’re doing. i don’t want to get fired or get dragged into some other shit because of you. We should go now, we have to prepare Phase 2 briefings for this afternoon. Like you said, we’re already done with the first one and can’t waste any time.” Both men finished their coffee before leaving the small café together.

_Task Force HQ, Yeongsang, September 22, 2:28 pm_

“Good afternoon everyone, welcome to our Phase 2 briefing. Thank you very much for your hard work, thanks to you we can finish Phase 1 in less than a week.” Seokjin opened the meeting, giving applause to his team. It’s true, they’ve all been working really hard and Namjoon is already pleased with their work so far. “I know we’re not completely done with the first one but we wanted to start this briefing early to not waste any time. There hasn’t been a new murder in the last two weeks so we should expect some news soon, they never have long breaks between them. Today i’ll start explaining Phase 2 to Team A, Jinyoung will then explain his part to Team B.”

“We’re almost finished with collecting information about the victims, I think we’re currently in June of this year so I think we can finish the rest in a day or two. Phase 2 for my team is analyzing the data and finding patterns. There has to be at least one tiny link between all the victims and we’re going to find it. This part will definitely take longer than the first because we need to carefully look at everything we found, we can’t leave anything out. I will assign roles as soon as we successfully finish Phase 1. Jinyoung, you can now talk to your team.” Seokjin ended his part before sitting down with the other members of the task force.

“Well, as you know we’re also as good as finished with making a list of the stolen goods and calling different places in the city. Our Phase 2 will also be finding patterns. I’m going to organize some tech stuff and rearrange our room to project a large map of Seoul on the wall. We will then put all the places of the robberies on it as well as the places where they were sold. I’m going to pick some of you to join me and Jimin in finding the other pieces through my connections. I will give you a special briefing for that but for now, everyone will be busy with the map first. That’s it for Phase 2, you can go back now and report to either me or Seokjin when Phase 1 is successfully completed. Thank you again for your hard work.” And with that, Jinyoung ended the briefing. Seokjin already informed their coworkers that he and Jinyoung will leave earlier today for a special task, leaving Jimin and Youngjae in charge for the rest of the day.

_Gangnam, September 22, 5:51 pm_

Jinyoung regrets not joining the police. While he’s living in a small one room apartment with a leaking bathroom sink, Seokjin is living in this fancy penthouse with an incredible view over the city. He knows everything about the older’s rise to fame within the police so he guesses that he got some benefits here and there. On his way there, his partner explained that he’s living with his brother Yugyeom and best friend Mark, who will help them with deleting San’s personal data. But it seems like Seokjin’s brother had other plans.

“You’re already here! I’ve just started cooking, it will take another 30 minutes until it’s finished. I made some fried noodles with chicken, I hope that’s okay”, Yugyeom said to them before going back into the kitchen. Seokjin sighed, he knew his brother is social but he just wanted to get it over with and then say goodbye to Jinyoung for the day.

“Fine, but hurry up we have stuff to do. Do you want anything to drink? We can wait in the living room, I’ll get Mark so you can explain to him what needs to be done before eating so we can start right away.” Seokjin took Jinyoung’s jacket and put it away for him. They might not be best friends but Jin takes pride in being a good host.

“A glass of water would be fine, thanks.” The older nodded and disappeared in the kitchen where Jinyoung could hear him talking with his brother. The living room was just as nice as he expected. Tall windows from the ceiling to the floor, a big leather sofa and walls full or shelves and art. But also a lot of what seems like family pictures and memories of the Kims. While admiring the interior, an unfamiliar person entered the room.

“Hey there, you must be that private detective. I’m Mark, Jin’s best friend and roommate and I heard that you have a task where I can help?”, the man introduced himself. Meanwhile, Seokjin is back with some drinks and joins the other two on the sofa. Jinyoung is explaining to Mark what they need to do in detail. The other is listening carefully, occasionally nodding.

“I’m going to set up a secure connection so no one can trace it back to us. I’m going to create a new, fake account so we don’t have to use Jin’s and then we delete everything we’re supposed to. No one can connect it with us so we’ll be fine. It should only take about an hour.” Jinyoung didn’t think that his partner would be friends with a person with skills like that but he’s really glad. They talked a bit more about the case until Yugyeom told them dinner is ready. It was nice, having dinner with more than one person. At first he thought he would be treated like a stranger but they all had a nice conversation, made jokes and laughed about the two brothers bickering back and forth. Maybe Seokjin isn’t as bad as he imagined, Jinyoung thought to himself. After finishing their dinner, they quickly helped the youngest with the dishes before disappearing in Mark’s office.

Jinyoung quickly noticed that Mark is really a pro. They didn’t even need an hour for setting up a safe line, creating that fake account and deleting San’s record. He took a video while Mark searched up ‘Choi San’ in the database and no results were shown and quickly sent it to the man himself.

“Thank you so much Mark and also Seokjin for helping me. The next dinner is on me, I’ll invite you all. I already texted San, now we have to wait for him to give us time and location of his next meetup with those guys.”


	9. Chapter 9

_ Hongdae, October 14, 1:25 pm _

Weeks have passed and still no sign from San. Work on Phase 2 has been going well, but they still have no lead. Since it was Jimin’s birthday yesterday, Jinyoung and he took some days off to celebrate. They went out for a lot of drinks last night, so now they’re hungover and hanging out in Jinyoung’s office. They decided to get some leftover work done because it seems like Blue Midnight will take longer than Jinyoung expected and he didn’t want to disappoint his clients. So for the last hours, they’ve been going through files, making calls and doing research. Jimin fell asleep at one point, the older one let him have some rest. 

In the meantime, there have been 3 new murders and one couple was robbed in their home. Chief Kim Namjoon asked twice a week if they had any news, which put them under a lot of pressure. Jinyoung, Jimin and 3 other members of his team asked some of his contacts about the stolen stuff but they didn’t get many answers. This case got more complicated each day. Who are those people and why are they so good at hiding? Suddenly, his pants started to vibrate. The wait is finally over, San texted him a time and location.

_ ‘Empire Hotel, conference lounge 4, today, 5:00 pm, 2 men’ _

“JIMIN WAKE UP”, Jinyoung yelled from his office. The ‘thump’ coming from the other room implied that the younger fell from the sofa. Jinyoung quickly got both of their things and shoved them into Jimin’s armes, still confused from just waking up.

“‘s going on?”, he said in a sleepy voice while trying to catch up to Jinyoung, who just mumbled ‘Hotel, Seokjin, hurry’ while trying to find his car keys. When they were in the car and Jimin was a bit more awake, his boss explained everything to him, also asking him to call Seokjin to meet up at the hotel and that he should bring backup. 

“Mr. Kim Seokjin? Yes it’s Jimin calling from Jinyoung’s phone. We got a text from San, they will be at the Empire Hotel at 5 pm in conference lounge 4. The hotel is at the west end of the city so the drive will take a while considering how busy it is. Jinyoung suggests meeting you there at the parking lot and bringing someone to back you up. We’ll get going now, see you there.” and with that, Jimin hung up.

Seokjin looked at the clock and cursed, it will also take him a while to get there and he doesn’t know if too much backup is a smart move, so he quickly grabbed Youngjae and both got into his car. After thinking about the plan, he told Youngjae to call Jimin to guide him through it. Since him and Jinyoung will arrive first, they should go around the hotel and look for possible exits where Jimin and Youngjae will wait later. Jinyoung and Seokjin will go into the hotel. They will wait until the two targets are inside the lounge with San so it’s harder for them to escape. Sounds good in theory but they never know what will happen later. Youngjae suggested to call some backup officers who will wait around the block so if something happens, they’re already present. The boys went through the plan twice to make sure everyone knows what to do. But somehow, they’re still very nervous.

_ Empire Hotel, October 14, 4:46 pm _

Jinyoung and Jimin arrived first like expected, so they already finished their walk around the hotel. There were four exits, the main exit, the exit through the garage and two side doors. They decided to block the garage exit with their cars and place Jimin and Youngjae in front of one of the other doors. Jimin is thankful that he always carries a small can of pepper spray in his bag but he still hopes that he won’t have to use it. He never accompanied his boss during one of his ‘field trips’. He’s not a big fan of danger but he knew that sooner or later he was going to get dragged into something like this.

When Seokjin and Youngjae arrived, they didn’t have much time to talk. The two younger boys went to their positions while Seokjin handed Jinyoung a taser, just for the emergency. They decided to wait in the lobby, until it’s time for the planned meeting with San. It was quite busy at the hotel, it seemed like there’s a convention or something near because lots of people with business cases are walking around so even if they tried, they couldn’t make out which one of the men are their targets.

As soon as the clock hit 5 pm, Seokjin and Jinyoung got up from the sofas in the lobby and to the elevator. The conference lounges are on the 3rd floor so the ride up is very short. Seokjin is quite calm, he’s used to that but Jinyoung could throw up right now. Talking to some criminals to get information? Yes. But actually trying to catch some criminals who are wanted for murders and robberies? Not so much. When he heard the elevator ‘ding’, the only thing he heard was his heartbeat. Seokjin took the lead, slowly walking towards lounge number 4. The door was closed and no bodyguards were around so it looks like their targets came alone. The older moved closer towards the door, trying to hear something, but he could only perceive muffled voices. On the count to three, Jinyoung opened the door for Seokjin, who walked in holding his gun up.

There were four men in the room. San, his bodyguard and what seemed like their targets. The two unknown men tried to run for the fire stairs outside the window but Seokjin fired a warning shot right next to them. 

“Get on the floor, NOW!”, he yelled. The two men hesitated at first, but then compiled. The detective approached them, followed by his partner. San and his bodyguard quickly left the room, he knew that soon there will be lots of cops here and he did not need that right after cleaning his record. Well, getting his record cleaned by those very two men who barged into the door just seconds ago. After restraining their hands, Jinyoung called Jimin to get the backup here, they have to transport the two men to their task force HQ where there’s already a room waiting for them.

“Don’t make it harder than it has to be, tell us your names and you’ll save us work and yourself trouble”, Seokjin explained while guiding the taller down the stairs.

“I won’t tell you shit”, he mumbled. Seokjin and Jinyoung shared a look and both knew that it won’t be easy getting any information out of the men, but at least they made a huge progress in the case. 


	10. Chapter 10

_ Task Force HQ, Yeongsang, October 14, 9:28 pm  _

Finally they’re one step closer to finishing this case. Seokjin won’t like to admit it, but it’s all because of Jinyoung and his connections. But it’s too early to celebrate because they still need to get some information out of the two men they arrested earlier. They’re in two separate rooms, waiting to be questioned by the two detectives. Since Jinyoung isn’t an official detective and doesn’t really have interrogation experience, he’s waiting behind the screen to watch Seokjin doing his work. The older is currently getting a cup of coffee for him and one of the men. He enters the room and in front of him is sitting a man with sharp facial features and piercing eyes. The detective knew it won’t be easy getting something out of him, they’ve been looking for a lead for many years so he knows they’re good. But humans can be broken. 

“We’re going to skip the part where I ask you questions, you refuse to answer them and we go on like this for hours. I’m tired, my team is tired and I bet you could also use some sleep. Don’t even try to talk or bail yourself out of this. We caught how you were trying to sell stolen cheques to a known black market merchant and those cheques are connected to a series of break ins and murders. And since we got you on tape, don’t even try to make excuses or shit like this. I know that you and your little friend are not the masterminds behind whatever organization you’re working for. So how about this. You tell me the location of where you’re operating from and I will do my best to get you and the other guy the minimum sentence. Like I said, we have you on tape so I can’t get you completely out, but I’ll minimize it. What do you say?” Seokjin took a big sip of his coffee, almost burning his tongue. He didn’t lie when he said he’s tired. The last weeks were so exhausting and the pressure increased day by day. He’s aware that it wouldn’t be this easy. Those are professionals. They won’t talk and they probably know all the tactics detectives use nowadays. He wants to buy himself time. They will be transported to prison when the interrogation is over and a judge gives them their sentence. And transportation is a weak link. A transport can be stopped, prisoners can be freed. He wants them to think the detectives are in a hurry to lock them up when in reality he’s trying to buy time. He’s sure that someone is already looking for them, which is their weak link. Now it’s just a game of who will get the opportunity to strike first. 

“You already know that I won’t say anything so why won’t you call it a day and get it over with?”, the man said and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. Seokjin pinched the bridge of his nose, already impatient because of the lack of sleep.

“Listen, Mr. Wang, we already your name and the name of your friend, Mr. Jung. So it will only be a matter of time until we find the others behind this. You can choose the easy war for you or you’re going to rot in prison, it’s up to you. Think about it.”, the detective said and left the room. So far he only knew their names, Jackson Wang and Jung Hoseok. He hopes that his team will get some more info about them quickly. The next hours he spent interrogating both men, absolutely exhausted at this point.

Meanwhile Jinyoung is observing everything. Due to his unconventional job, he had contact with a lot of shady people before and loves studying people. He noticed that Hoseok always tilts his head when he seems annoyed and Jackson rolls his eyes. A lot. It’s little habits like this that Jinyoung notices first when he’s around people. When he was younger, his friends thought this was annoying that he kept on pointing out their habits but he finds it quite useful, especially when he’s trying to read people. Thanks to this, he noticed that Jackson had a tattoo of a black cat on his ribs which Jinyoung saw when Jackson took off his sweatshirt because it was too warm. And he noticed that Hoseok has the exact same tattoo on his wrist. He has worked long enough in this type of business to know that gangs have usually a logo or emblem of some sort. But he has never heard of a gang with a cat tattoo. He quickly drew the tattoo on a napkin and shoved it inside his pocket. It was close to midnight when they decided to finish the first interrogation. Jimin was already waiting for his friend and boss but Jinyoung waited until they were in the car to show him the drawing. 

“Have you seen a sign like this before? I only know about snakes, dragons, even horses but I’ve never seen a cat like that.” While Jimin analyzed the drawing, the private detective tried to google the picture but he didn’t get far because he was interrupted by Jimin.

“No fucking way. I’ve seen this before. Remember Chuseok last year when I got so wasted I slept on your doorstep? I had a one night stand with a really cute guy, he was more like a nerd type but he knew exactly what to do with his tongue and hands. What was his name again… Young-Su? Yoo-Gun? Something like that. I don’t remember much from that night, unfortunately. He only said I needed to leave when we were done and basically shoved me inside a taxi, I think his roommates aren’t supposed to know he brought me home. But Jinyoungie, I’m tired, can we go home? Maybe I’ll remember more tomorrow.” And like that, Jimin fell asleep on the passenger seat. Jinyoung hopes that the younger remembers more than the bedroom skills of his one night stand.


	11. Chapter 11

_ Task Force HQ, Yeongsang, October 15, 11:24 am _

“What do you mean they’ve been released?! They may have been responsible for fucking murders, and you’re letting them walk out?!” Jinyoung heard Seokjin scream before he even opened the door. He found his partner yelling at what seems like the guys from the night shift. 

“What’s going on? Who’s been released?” Jinyoung took a sip of his coffee, leaning on Jimin’s desk while the younger one was already busy with finding out how he can contact his one night stand. 

“What’s going on? WHAT’S GOING ON? These idiots here released our main suspects! They were the first lead we had in literal years and they just let them walk out, what the fuck!” Seokjin slumps down in the chair next to him, looking absolutely defeated. Chief Kim Namjoon entered the room, looking like he just finished a phone call. 

“Ok listen up everybody. We fucked up massively. Not only you guys but also the IT department. Someone hacked into our system. deleted everything related to this case and sent a fake message with the request to free them, that they’ve been falsely accused. So now we’re basically back to the beginning unless you have a physical copy of everything you’ve done in the past weeks.”, he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“You know what? Go home everyone, at least for the next few days. I need to check with the director what we’re going to do now. Be alert though, we’re going to text or call you when you have to get back in.” And with that, he left the room, taking a phone call again. Everyone looked confused, shocked, angry, disappointed, you name it.

“Come on, I’ll treat you for lunch”, Jinyoung said to his partner. It won’t be any use if they keep on yelling at everyone. The damage has been done and they have to think about how they can fix it. No one except Jimin knows about the tattoo yet and he thinks he should tell Seokjin about it. Even if the official investigation is on a forced break, it doesn’t mean they have to stop. 

_ Hongdae, October 15, 12:46 pm _

Nothing cures frustration like fried chicken and a cold beer. And Seokjin already had some glasses of the beverage. Jinyoung and Jimin just finished explaining the tattoo and the younger’s connection to someone with the same tattoo. So for now, this is the only lead they have. 

“I barely remember anything from that night. I was out with some friends but I wasn’t really feeling it so I just sat in the corner downing drink after drink. I noticed a mint haired guy in a booth next to ours who was basically doing the same thing so my horny and desperate self got over to him and started talking. One thing led to another and we made out, he told me that he doesn’t live far and we could go to his place but make it quick before his roommates notice. I don’t recall how long the cab drive was because we were making out the whole way and- Seokjin, I saw that look, don’t judge I have needs, okay? So yeah, after doing the deed he almost threw me out, saying I need to be gone quick or I’ll get caught up in something I don’t want to. He gave me a last kiss on the cheek and slammed the door in my face. I stumbled out of the apartment building trying to put on my shoes and then I immediately got into a taxi. The only thing I can remember is seeing a McDonald’s sign before getting in the car because I was suddenly craving chicken nuggets. But yeah, that’s all I can remember.” The youngest finished his monologue with a big sip of his water, he’s the designated driver for the day. 

“A McDonald’s sign. We only have a few here in Seoul. It will be a piece of cake finding it”, Jinyoung said sarcastically while hiding his face in his hands. While they sat in a more or less comfortable silence, Jimin felt a vibration in his pants. He got a text from an unknown number:

_ Jimin, don’t. I told you not to get caught up in things you can’t handle. This is too big for you, just let it go, please. - Y _

“What the…”, he mumbled while reading the message over and over again. How the hell does this guy know about all of this? This must mean he really is involved in all of this. Jimin looked at his boss and Seokjin, both tired and defeated. So he decided not to tell them about the message and excused himself to the bathroom where he carefully decides what to text back.

_ Sigh, the things I do just to get your attention. I can’t forget that night and I can’t forget your cat tattoo. Let’s meet up tomorrow. Café Ambience, 4 pm. It’s on a side street which should give us some privacy to talk. Take the opportunity or leave it. - Jimin _

Is he making the right decision? He wants to help his best friend solve this case. He owes him so much and wants him to finally allow himself to be happy instead of work work work all day. He doesn’t have a plan, though. He just knows he has to meet up with this guy, even though he’s not sure he will show up, but his gut feeling says he will. 


	12. Chapter 12

_Café Ambience, October 16, 4:25 pm_

At this point, Jimin doubts that the other will come. He’s been there even earlier so they won’t miss each other. He stared out the window, watching people pass by. It’s a quite cold day today, so everyone’s wearing fluffy scarves and warm beanies. He’s sipping on a hazelnut hot choco, his favorite for days like this. He was hoping he could help Jinyoung somehow, but maybe his one night stand blocked his number. How did he even get it in the first place? He’s pretty sure they didn’t exchange numbers back then. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice a man with mint green hair taking the seat opposite of him. He has sharp, almond shaped eyes, pretty lips and he’s wearing the same nerdy glasses like the night they meet. He came after all. 

“Jimin, what do you want? I told you to stay away, why won’t you listen?”, the other said in an annoyed tone while taking a sip of what looks like a black coffee. To be honest, Jimin didn’t plan what to say when they meet because he really didn’t think the other would come so now the younger is at a loss for words.

“Well, uhm, you see.. “, he started stumbling while rubbing the back of his neck, he’s visibly nervous. The other man chuckled and lightly shook his head.

“I’m so dumb for coming here. Do you know how risky it is for me? But.. I guess we both need the help of the other. So let me talk first. I’ve been watching you ever since I heard about your boss taking the case. And with watching I really mean watching. I got into your phone, laptop, you name it. I needed to know exactly what’s going on with the investigation. I know that you know about the tattoos, that’s why I’m trying to make this quick. I want out, Jimin. Oh and by the way, my name is not Young-Su, I’m Yoongi. And I don’t know why I trust you but I think you’re my only chance. I’m in a gang called the Black Cats, I’ve been with them for years. It was me who helped Jackson and Hoseok get out of custody, I’m good with computers as you might know by now. But I hate that the other guys started to kill people, it’s not what we used to do. It’s now who we are. I will help you catch the others while you help me get out, okay? I can’t tell you more because the others would know that I snitched. The number I texted you with is an encrypted number, so it’s safe to text or call it. Please, think about it and tell me your decision. I have to go now, see you soon, Jimin-ah:” Yoongi squeezed Jimin’s hand, gave him a tired smile and left. The younger one is speechless. He thought of many different scenarios but this wasn’t one of them. This sounds too good to be true but what if Yoongi really wants to leave the gang? On his way out, he called his boss and told him they need to have an emergency meeting in their office.

_Unknown, October 16, 5:39 pm_

Yoongi knew he did the right thing, but he’s sorry for dragging Jimin into this mess. The younger boy didn’t leave his mind since they spent the night together. He was dragged into that club by the other members even though they knew he hated things like this, so he just stayed at the table while the others were either dancing or fucking someone in the restroom. Normally he would have been flustered when a beautiful person like Jimin approached him, but the alcohol gave him some courage. So they ended up in bed together. In Yoongi’s bed, to be exact. He was so enchanted by Jimin’s lips that he didn’t care that he’s not allowed to bring anyone into their headquarters. It hurt Yoongi that he had to throw Jimin out, but the others couldn’t find out. Yoongi is usually not the type to have one night stands because he’s always busy helping to fulfill their plan. 

He entered his home which is also the place the Black Cats plan everything. He used to live there alone, but since Jackson and Hoseok were already caught by the police, it would be safer if they stayed with Yoongi and not go out for a while.

“Hey Yoongs, did you get the chips I asked for? Please tell me they had them this time, they were sold out the last couple of times I’ve been to that store”, Hoseok said with a pout on his face, which immediately vanished when Yoongi got the said bag of chips out of his backpack. Hoseok squealed, grabbed the snacks and slumped back into the sofa in the living room. Jackson is watching a show while Hoseok apparently played something on his Nintendo Switch. 

“Thank you again for getting us out so quickly. That detective was annoying. Pretty, but also annoying. Did Tae say how much longer we have to live here? No offence, but I miss my penthouse…”, Jackson said without looking away from the TV. 

“No, he didn’t say anything to me. Only that you two should make yourselves useful while you’re here. The others have to work overtime to do your jobs as well since you can’t go out, so you have to do some research and maybe clean up from time to time, it’s nasty here since you moved in. Which was yesterday.” Yoongi loved them like family. Even though he doesn’t always agree with the plan, the Black Cats are the only friends he has. Maybe Jimin too, but only time will tell if he’s right about this or not. He grabbed some drinks and went back into his computer room, where he’s logging back into the phones of Jinyoung, Seokjin and Jimin, since they’re the ones having the most intel on the case. 

He’s hoping that Jimin will make the right choice, all their lives depend on it.

_Hongdae, October 16, 6:35 pm_

Jimin was already waiting in front of their office for his boss. When Jinyoung arrived, Jimin didn’t talk to him, he only held up a message written on an old receipt he found in his jacket.

_‘Can’t talk, they’re listening. Leave phones and everything in the office and we’re taking a walk’_

Jinyoung nodded and he did what his best friend said. The walk to the nearby park was silent, but not an uncomfortable silence. Both men are used to being with one another without talking, it’s how they can still work together after all those years. They found an empty bench with not many people around. Jimin is thankful that he stopped by his apartment to get a blanket for the both because the temperature is dropping rapidly. The younger explained everything, from the message he got yesterday and everything Yoongi told him when they met. He also told him that he did a quick research and called some people on his way asking for the Black Cats, but he couldn’t find anything. It’s like this gang doesn’t even exist. But the tattoos make it obvious that they have some kind of connection. 

“I don’t know what to do, hyung. He really looked desperate but we know they’re all professionals. What if they want to use us? Or even worse, which I really don’t want to think about right now. And should we tell Seokjin?” After that, it was silent again, Jinyoung had to sort out his thoughts. He also doesn’t know what any of this means. But they have a connection into the gang now and it would be dumb if they don’t use it. 

“Yeah, we should tell Seokjin, but no one else, not the Chief, not Youngjae. But I think we need to ask Mark if he can get us some unhackable phones or something because we need a safe way of communication without Yoongi listening. I wanted to meet up with Seokjin either way, so I’m going to tell him everything. But for now, accept Yoongi’s offer. Tell him that if he provides information which leads to the arrest of the gang, we can get him into the witness protection program and he doesn’t need to go to jail. And then we wait for his next move, I guess.” The rest of the afternoon, they talked about everything and nothing, just like the days before the investigation started. They bought some snacks from a food truck and had a good time, just like the best friends they are. 

Later that night, when Jinyoung left, Seokjin had troubles falling asleep. It was too much information to process at once. He already asked Mark to get the phones, which should be ready in a few days. But what does Yoongi want? Can he be trusted? 


	13. Meet the Boys (3)

Every successful gang needs a hacker, and this is where **Min Yoongi** comes into play. It started out as a hobby when he was 12 but now it’s all he knows. He was 19 and just started college when his best friend started the Black Cats and asked him to join. His first condition was to finish his computer programming degree, then he will join. The second was that he won’t have anything to do with blood or violence, he despises it. That’s why he sticks to his computers in the headquarter where he also lives. He makes sure the gang leaves no digital traces, hacks into databases and keeps the cops away from them so they can achieve their goal without interruption.

**Jackson Wang** has stolen almost anything. Cars, jewelry, data, money, you name it. Does he need it? Absolutely not. His parents are filthy rich and he grew up in the best neighborhood in Hong Kong. So why does he belong to a group like the Black Cats? Maybe because he never had friends and longed for companionship. Maybe because he loves the thrill. Or maybe he doesn’t need a reason at all. Not even the other members know why he’s one of the best thieves in the country, but they know what he’s capable of and that’s enough.

**Jung Hoseok** is probably the most dangerous type of killer. He’s charismatic, friendly, lures his prey in. You wouldn’t ever guess that he’s one of the deadliest men in Korea. He’s one of the first members of the Black Cats and he would die for them. He didn’t have the most pleasant childhood, haunted by violence and poverty. So when the opportunity opened up and the leaders of the group asked him to join, he didn’t have to hesitate. Now he’s the lead assassin within the Black Cats and is also responsible to train the rookies.


End file.
